


Home

by Datawolf39



Series: Soulmarks [2]
Category: Death in Paradise
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Humor, Multi, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2021-01-08 01:34:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21227606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Datawolf39/pseuds/Datawolf39
Summary: Richard is tired. Catherine is parental. The others want to make everything better.





	Home

**Author's Note:**

> Catherine being parental is a real thing for me. I don't know why but imma roll with it. 
> 
> Set a while after the events of Soulmarks

Tired.

That one word summed up the entirety of his current disposition.

Tired from the case that had taken a week to solve.

Tired from the heat and the lack of sufficient fluids to replenish what he had lost.

Tired of walking.

Tired from blocking his mates from his less that pleasant emotions and thoughts.

At that thought, he found himself on a rather conveniently placed bench, with his face in his hands.

He was tired of being tired.

"You have to stop doing this," the reprimand was gentle, but the disapproval was obvious.

At one point, he might have lashed out or ignored the words. Perhaps he might have even pretended to be unsure what the 'this' in the sentence referred to.

That was in a time before his bonds shone vivid with color, and four people had a window into his heart and mind.

"I'm sorry," was all he could find it in himself to say. He couldn't lie, she would know it, and they both knew she would call him out on it. Which was both a disliked trait, and something that he was insanely grateful for.

Catherine was always the one to find him when he was like this. Parental bonds were just so much harder to block, due to the nature of them, but he knew the others wouldn't be far behind, he could feel his bonds flowing back into him as his walls crumbled, worry and anxiety flooded him, and the guilt of being the catalyst for those emotions consumed him. 

Catherine grabbed his hand, and he latched on to the physical and mental connection between them.

"I'm sorry," he found himself saying again for no reason.

"I worry for you," she said after a moment of silence. "You give all you have to the cases you s-"

"We," he corrects.

She smiles. He could be unbearably sweet sometimes. "You all solve," she corrects herself. "You take in the worst of humanity, and then lock all your feelings away from us until you fall apart. Don't you feel how it worries us?"

He nods.

She waits letting him gather his words. Somehow she felt this would be different from the other times where they sat in silence until one of the others, usually Camille, came to take him home.

"I don't wish to be a burden to any of you."

"Richard, you are our mate, we would be monsters if we didn't care when you were hurting."

Camille's words hit him hard, and for the first time in a long while, probably since the night they had all bonded, all his shields came down. All the feelings of inadequacy, and unworthiness spilled into the bonds, followed by shame, because he had been dealing with things by himself for so long, that these feelings should not be as potent as they were.

"You all must have other things to attend to," he said, voice steady despite his inner turmoil.

It made them all both sad and curious as they considered just how often that steady voice may have convinced people that he was okay, when inside he was overcome with emotion.

They all knew that the question was mainly aimed at Dwayne and Fidel. Parental bonds came with a protectiveness that would hold Catherine to him, and Camille was him life partner, his romantic Soulmate, she could no more leave than Catherine could, these facts made guilt pulse through him, but it also made him feel safe, because for the first time in his life he had people who could not abandon him, which, in turn made him feel more guilt, because it was through no choice of their own that they were bonded the way they were.

"Mates are more important," Dwayne said with a shrug. "I couldn't have a good night knowing my mates were upset."

"That's how it is for me too. Don't worry about Juliet, she understands. She has mates of her own, and though she may not be bonded to you she is bonded to me. If I were anywhere else she would not be happy with me."

"Same story everywhere Chief, happy wife, happy life."

"You forgot the other part," Fidel said.

"What's that?"

"Irate mate, Dwayne has no date."

A small surge of satisfaction went through his bonds. "You two were waiting," he accused.

Before either of them could muster up an excuse, they heard a small chuckle.

"You all make it entirely too hard to sulk," Richard said softly.

"Is that a bad thing?" Camille asked.

"No," he admitted, "no it isn't."

"Come on," Catherine said.

"Where are we going?" he asked as the woman led him by the hand. 

"Home."

Well that didn't help at all. A lot of places on the island were 'home' to him now. Then he smiled, because it didn't matter where she was headed, he knew that he would be safe and surrounded by his mates.

"Home," he agreed as he gripped her hand tighter

**Author's Note:**

> Originally this wasn't going to start a series but I got a comment and one thing led to another and this is what happend.


End file.
